subject: Connecting Sleep With Exercise [print this page] Most people would like to lose a little more weight, become a little stronger, or develop a more toned body. It is well known that all of this can be achieved through exercise.
However, there are other elements that affect your ability to exercise and the ability of your body to rebuild and become stronger. Sleep is one of these critical elements.
Your body reenergizes and rejuvenates when it sleeps. When the body does not get enough sleep, it is not able to rejuvenate completely and it is hard on your body and your mind as you try to do various tasks throughout the day.
Your body goes through a natural cycle that helps you sleep. The cycle begins as it becomes dark outside.
When darkness falls, the pineal gland will release melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that is responsible for a making a person tired.
It is released whenever there is an absence of light. It also helps your body to relax, heart rate to slow down, breathing to slow down, and your body temperature to drop when you are lying down on your bed.
There are many stages of sleep that a person will go through during the night. The first stage is one in which the sleeper cannot sense anything that is going on around him or her.
After phase one of sleep is over, phase two begins. In phase two, the sleeper will remain completely still for ten to fifteen minutes.
In phase three, the sleeper finally enters a deeper sleep which only lasts somewhere between five and fifteen minutes. Phase four lasts about a half an hour.
During this phase, the eyes of the person who is sleeping will move very rapidly in what is called rapid eye movement or REM. Dreaming can begin in this phase.
When the sleeper emerges out of phase four, he or she will return to phase two and repeat the process about five times throughout the night. The average full repetition of the cycle five times takes eight hours and fifteen minutes.
This is why it is suggested to get at least eight hours of sleep. There are many negative results that can come from not getting enough sleep.
One consequence you may experience is impaired glucose tolerance. When you are sleep deprived, the central nervous system becomes more active.
This hinders the pancreas from being able to produce enough insulin. Insulin is critical to the process that allows the body to digest glucose.
One study on healthy young men who had not problem before the study found that within one week into the study, the young men were on the brink of being classified as diabetic. Sleep deprivation also increases the chances you have of becoming obese.
Growth hormones are excreted during sleep. When a young person misses out on sleep, he or she may not grow as much and the fat gaining process could begin early.
You will also experience higher carbohydrate cravings when you are in need of sleep. Sleep also affects the production of Leptin, which is a hormone which tells your body when it is full.
In addition, your immune system will be weakened which will allow you to be more susceptible to illness. It has also been found that breast cancer can be triggered by lack of sleep as the light can stimulate estrogen levels within the body.
There are many other consequences that result from lack of sleep. All of these things negatively impact your ability to exercise.
For example, when you are tired you will not feel like exercising and you will want to skip your workout for the day. Even if you do not give in, you may not have the drive to put in as much effort into exercising as you would normally put in.
In addition, if you become ill due to a weakened immune system you will definitely not be able to exercise as often. If you allow yourself to skip exercise, you will lose the habit of going and it will be much harder to exercise.
Likewise, if you get in that habit of slacking off during your workout, it will either be difficult to up your performance or you will get discouraged with your lack of progress and you will stop exercising.
Getting the proper amount of sleep is critical to exercising effectively and to a healthy life. By sleeping you will also feel much better as you perform activities throughout your life.
